The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

sheilavw

I think that the reduced veg will be in the supermarkets tomorrow.

Watty1

Jumping back in. I need to clear the cupboards and freezer. Over the last few months I've been relying on meal boxes from various companies but also buying stuff and then feeling too worn out to cook so everything seems a bit out of control.

Yesterday made some biscuits using up some more of the flour mountain and honey. Would usually have added maple syrup but seems we were out of it (the very nice man I live with seems to inhale anything he can find sweet whilst watching movies). Biscuits were ok, but slightly burnt and the honey has given the chestnut flour a peculiar tang. Still VNM can eat them up..

This evening will use two pieces of fish with a trayback of veggies from the fridge. At this point in the "use up" the meals will sound great but as next month rolls on I expect I will be back asking what to do with random items.

Cherryfudge

I really enjoyed all the ideas you came up with last time you had a major onslaught on the cupboards, @Watty1 . Looking forward to what you create next time: did you keep a list of the recipes you used?

Whoop, whoop to the reduced veg returning soon @sheilavw !

I forgot yesterday but we've bought fresh peppers three times recently. They are so expensive and we use them quite often so I seized the day when I saw them reduced. We will use one tonight in tuna pasta, but then I need to think about whether to freeze the others.

LotsOfTea

I finally got round to using up an ancient tin of mushy peas at the weekend. I make a lot of soup for my lunches and usually add a handful of red lentils for some added protein and heft but this time I added a can of mushy peas and it worked just fine. This is good news as I seen to have about 4 tins in the stores that need using up.

I'm planning on getting a few of the reduced Easter veg bits but not too much. I'll get some carrots and make carrot & coriander soup and carrot dahl and then probably some onions as we use a lot of those. Maybe spuds too as wedges and jacket spuds are good Easter holiday fare. In fact I'm going to go to the supermarket on foot to ensure I can only buy as much as I can comfortably carry 😂

greent

I shall buy potatoes, carrots, spring onions, shallots (quite a few bags of these) and a bag of parsnips from L1dl for 8p each (15p for spring onions and shallots) and will see what T3sc0 have in their offer (just checked - I shall get some 15p broccoli from there)

M0rris0ns have their veg at 4p, but they're not close by. I may also get some garlic and onions from Ald1 @ 8p, as they're opposite T3sc0.

A little progress made - have finished all of the hg cherries from last summer in yogurt for breakfasts - shall have to move onto the Vic plums next (bumper crops of all garden fruit last year!) 4 HUGE chicken breasts removed from freezer yesterday and a one-pot meal made, which used up the almost-getting-sad pack of mushrooms in the fridge and several peppers (had to throw one as it had got bruised and gone mushy & furry 🤮) Final ready meal (not hm) from freezer also eaten during the week. I used up most of a good sized lump of Comte Xmas cheese in a risotto - almost there with the cheese now! 😅

Did not eat my veg-scrap soup last week, so that's 2 lunches for this week. Hopefully when I go back to work (currently school hols) it'll be more salad-y weather, as I still need to lose a few pounds and salads are better than soup for me (I think it's to do with the chewing, rather than slurping)

I do have plans for a large pack of sausages and some Xmas cheese later this week(2 small lumps) - sausage rolls. I'll also make some coconut & jam things to use up some more of the jam mountain.

Cherryfudge

It's interesting that you find chewing rather than slurping is somehow more satisfying! I like something with a bit of crunch but I've just had the second-to-last portion of parsnip soup for lunch and am contemplating carrot and ginger soup to use things up.

LotsOfTea

I find it helps to add something to the soup to make it seem more hefty and give some texture. I usual blend my soups but then add something like frozen peas, sweetcorn or edamame or some kind of tinned beans for something to chew afterwards. Sometimes instead of that I'll quickly fry some diced onion or leek, maybe some mushroom, maybe some smoked tofu, all diced up small and then just chuck them on top of the soup when I serve it up. It makes it seem more filling, plus you're adding extra plant matter which is always good for the vitamins & fibre.

greent

I'm currently eating one portion of my veg-scrap soup - it does have pieces of roast chicken in, so there's added texture/ chewing (and protein) from that. I think it's something to do with chewing takes longer and helps your brain realise you're full. However, soup is way more satiating than, say, a smoothie partly because of the heat, I believe.

DigForVictory

I'm watching the prices fall here Cheap Vegetables deals - MoneySavingExpert

It was 8p a bag but Morrisons went to 4 pence & whee Aldi followed. I may go to Lidl for the enchallion shallots but noone's offering decent sized onions as far as I can see.

My take on the fillingness of soup would be the built-in fibre, which smoothies atom-smash rather. I could very easily be wrong, I don't think I've ever made a smoothie.

Wraithlady

I had to throw away the pickled garlic gifted to me at Xmas as I'm pretty sure blue-green fuzz is not a positive indicator.

The veg box is coming on Thursday, so that's our Easter veg sorted - the main on Easter Sunday will be pot-roasted shoulder of venison. This would count towards clearing the freezer if I hadn't bought 2 kg's of venison mince and a venison fillet. Oh, and a leg of lamb.

In my defence (m'lud) I intend to do a canning session in the next month or two, so the mince and leg of lamb is intended for that (need to bulk-buy beef mince etc but that's after Easter).

Otherwise, the freezer is a bit hokey cokey - pitta, fish, blueberries and pheasant stew taken out this week, 2 bags of bagels, salmon fillets and dim sum added. I'm sure it's going down - slowly.